York and Carolina
by josegarcia-n7
Summary: My headcanon of what happens about the Mother of Invention after the Freelancers recover the Sarcophagus note that this was written before Season 10
1. Chapter 1

York/Carolina Fan Fic Chapter 1:

It was quiet. Nobody said a word on their way back to the Mother of Invention. They all knew what had happened. Tex had shown up unexpectedly, the Director had fired a MAC round at the building they were in, endangering their lives... Something didn't seem right, but York just couldn't put his finger on it. Although nobody said anything, he knew they were all thinking the same thing.

They arrived at the Mother of Invention, and as soon as they landed in the hangar, the Pelican door opened. Although she was all the way in the back of the Pelican, Carolina was the first one to get out, quickly walking angrily out of the Pelican and towards the Freelancer's living quarters. She obviously had no intention of going to the Director for the debriefing. York couldn't blame her.

They all got out and went to the bridge, where the Director would be waiting for them. The first thing York saw as he walked in was Tex standing next to the Director. He couldn't say he wasn't surprised, what with Tex being his favorite now. They lined up, and the Director took a quick look at them before saying:

"And where, might I ask, is agent Carolina?"

"She's in her room and she won't come out. Locked the door and everything," said York, besides not having actually checked up on her. "I even tried pretty please, but that obviously didn't work."

"And you, agent York, being our infiltration specialist, didn't even attempt to unlock her door?" asked the Director. York could tell he was mad.

"It didn't occur to me to try that" he replied, but in reality, he just didn't think he should have disturbed her.

"Dully noted... and agent Maine?"

"In the medical bay," replied Washington, who sounded very worried.

"That is to be expected," said the Director, "Not even a soldier of his caliber could survive injuries like those without medical assistance. Now, for the reason I brought you here: thanks to agent Texas, the Sarcophagus and the briefcase have been successfully recovered. You all did a fine job assisting Texas in this difficult task. The Sarcophagus will be very important in the days to come; very important indeed..."

The Director seemed lost in his thoughts for a moment, but then he continued.

"Although I cannot tell you what purpose the Sarcophagus will serve, it will be a key element in your training. For now at least, you have all earned some rest. Counselor, update the board."

"Yes Director," he said.

With the push of a button, the board went into a frenzy, organizing the top six Freelancers in a new order, and the results were the following:

Texas  
Carolina  
York  
North Dakota  
South Dakota  
Maine

"Dismissed," was the last thing the Director said, before turning around to talk to Texas.

_Well, it seems Maine finally won himself a place on the board. The guy deserves it after all he did for us on that highway._

York was pretty certain the mission would have been a disaster if Maine hadn't been there for them. He saved both him and Carolina as they were falling down the side of the building, he kept on fighting after getting shot in the throat several times, and he saved Carolina from a sniper shot. His heart skipped a beat at that last thought.

_Maine saved Carolina... If not for him, she wouldn't be here right now..._

York didn't know why that thought occupied his mind so much, but he knew he was grateful for it. He would have to remember to thank Maine as soon as he left the medical bay for saving her life. First he had to figure out why it mattered to him so much, so he decided he'd go pay her a visit.

Although York had never been to Carolina's room, it wouldn't be a problem finding it, considering that their names were written in big bold letters on the doors. He walked through the corridor, walking past the doors, until he found the one. Written in big bold letters, he saw it:

CAROLINA

He didn't if she would still be mad, so he took a moment to gather himself, and he knocked. As soon as he knocked, Carolina yelled as she said "WHAT?!"

_Yep… still mad._

"It's me, York."

"Oh … come on in."

He tried to open the door, but found that it didn't open.

"It's locked!" he said.

"You're the infiltration specialist York…"

"Right… You mind telling me why you can't open the door for me?"

"I'm in the shower…"

"Oh… well… I'll be right in then."

York got down on one knee, and got started on the lock. It was open in five seconds. He walked in, and took in his surroundings. Like everybody else's room, Carolina's room was a small square room, about ten feet from wall to wall. It also had a bathroom, currently occupied by Carolina, on the right as soon as you came in the room. There was a dresser for clothes directly in front of the door on the opposite wall, with the bed placed next to it against the corner. He walked to it and sat down.

Right in front of him, was a desk with Carolina's personal computer open, displaying her music library. He got curious, and stood up to get a closer look. Her music library was filled with some of the oldest rock bands in history. The Beatles, The Police, The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin… York never thought she'd be into that kind of stuff. What surprised him even more was the stack of books on the left of the computer. There were seven in total.

_Wow, these must be centuries old._

He picked up the first one and read the title: Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne. The other six were classic novels such as Hamlet, War and Peace, Paris in the Twentieth Century, Romeo & Juliet (which really took York by surprise), The Portrait of Dorian Gray, and A Midsummer Night's Dream. He picked up and opened Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, put his nose in between the pages, and took a deep whiff.

The musty smell of the age old paper was intoxicating. It was like nothing he had ever experienced. He couldn't believe books had been discontinued in favor of electronic books on data pads and personal computers. Holding a book in your hand felt like holding a relic of the past that, if not for people like Carolina, who apparently collected them, would have been forgotten along with the old world they had left behind once humanity took for the stars. It was a magical sensation. While he was distracted looking at the cover of "War and Peace", Carolina came out of the bathroom, and saw him holding the book.

"What the hell are you doing York? Put that down!"

"Whoa, calm down, I'm not gonna break em," he said, slowly putting it back.

"I know, it's just..."

While she said this, York saw the one and only picture she had on her desk. It was one of her with her parents back from when she was a kid.

"They belonged to your parents?"

"It's all I have left of them..."

York knew what she was talking about. She was living a happy life with her parents in Sigma Octanus IV until the Covenant attacked the colony. They didn't succeed, but that didn't mean there weren't any casualties. Among those were Carolina's parents. She had told him about how she had joined Project Freelancer to get revenge on those alien bastards; not that York blamed her for it.

He looked at her and was amazed at how beautiful she was. She had her towel wrapped around her like he supposed all women did after a bath. Her red hair was draped over her right shoulder, even darker considering she had just stepped out of the shower. Her bangs covered her right eye, making her look like a sweet, innocent girl, which York knew was the complete opposite of what she was. It also emphasized the pained expression on her face. He knew he shouldn't have brought up her parents.

"Sorry I brought em up then," said York.

"Don't worry about it, but... do you mind? I need to change."

"Don't worry, I'll close my eye," he said, and proceeded to close his only working eye. Carolina had once joked about York always being able to joke about anything no matter how serious, and the fact that he just made a remark on his lost eye, after having lost it the previous day probably proved that. Another thing that proved it was the laugh that followed, which he found oddly satisfying to hear.

"You can open your eye now," he heard her say, and so he did.

She was now wearing a gray tank top and some blue cargo pants; the only clothing allowed for the female agents, and the only one provided. That's not to say that the male agents wore anything all that different. They wore the same blue cargo pants, except they had a gray t-shirt.

"Don't tip-toe around it York, just tell me why you're here," she said, as she made her usual ponytail.

"Nothing really, just checking in to see if-"

"If I'm still mad at the Director?" she cut in angrily. "Of course I am! Why the hell shouldn't I be? The Director sent Texas, as if we weren't capable of accomplishing the mission, and not only that, but he also destroyed the building where the Sarcophagus was located, while we were still there!"

"I know all right? I was there too."

"And not to mention your eye."

"What about my eye?"

"Oh come on York, really? He let Maine and Wyoming bring live ammunition into the training filed, and even a grenade! Look at what it did to you! It cost you your eye! You're never getting it back! And not only did it happen, but he yelled at Washington for pointing out what they had done, and Maine and Wyoming were left untouched!" York saw a tears forming in her eyes. "God damn it York, you're the only friend I have here. I can't lose you."

"And you won't. Besides, Texas isn't all that bad. If it hadn't been for her I would really be dead."

"But that wouldn't have happened if the Director hadn't let them bring live ammunition to the training field!"

"Since when have you ever been mad at the Director anyways? Isn't that CT who usually accuses him of being the bad guy?"

"Yeah but..."

"This isn't about the Director is it? It's about Texas. You're actually mad at her."

"All right York! I'm mad at Texas! Happy? I'm mad at her because she won. Not only did she get the Sarcophagus into the Pelican, but she got the briefcase too! AND I WAS THE ONE WHO GOT IT FROM THE INSURRECTIONISTS, NOT HER! All that bitch did was grab it after I took it back."

"What matters is that you know you did it."

"No York! That's not it! Don't you see? The Director doesn't care about that! And it doesn't matter if I really did it, because in the end, all he'll hear is that she recovered the briefcase, and she'll end up going up the board."

"Yeah about that..."

"She already did didn't she?"

"Number one..."

As soon as York said it, Carolina's eyes filled with rage. Her arms tensed, and she turned towards the wall, screaming as she punched it, leaving a dent on the wall.

"Whoa, careful there, you're gonna hurt yourself without your armor."

"I'm not the scared little kid from Sigma anymore... I know how to take care of myself York."

"I know you do, but you can still hurt yourself by punching a titanium wall."

"I'm well aware of that."

"Sure doesn't seem like it."

And in spite of everything, in spite of the Director, Texas, the mission, and the anger, they did something completely that took them both by surprise: they laughed. Laughter was a rare novelty in the world they lived in, so it was a nice feeling. They enjoyed every moment of it. They laughed because they were tired; tired of the Director pushing them around; tired of Texas showing off; tired of the war; tired of the endless fighting... They laughed together, like two old friends sharing a drink at a bar, remembering the stupid things they would do as kids.

"You really did always know how to cheer me up," said Carolina.

"Hey, it's one of the reasons you can put up with me isn't it?"

She laughed harder, and so did York. When they finally stopped laughing, York was the first to speak.

"Well I hate to break up our little party, but the Director promised us some rest, and I plan on cashing in. I can't even remember the last time we were given time to rest. I guess I'll be seeing you."

He turned around to leave and walked towards the door. As soon as he stepped out the door, he heard Carolina calling him.

"York, wait!"

He turned around, and to his surprise, she hugged him.

"Thank you... for everything," she said.

For a moment, York didn't know what to say or do. He just stood there with his arms to the side, confused. Three seconds later, he hugged her back.

"You're welcome," he said, and they broke apart.

The last thing he saw before the door slid closed, was Carolina smiling, and thinking that he had made her smile made him smile.

_Carolina smiles? That was definitely an interesting thing to see._


	2. Chapter 2

_As they fell, York only one thing came to his mind: We need to get to that Pelican! He could see Washington on top of the Sarcophagus nearing the Pelican. He was definitely going to make it, but York and Carolina still had to get closer, and they had to do it quickly. The ground was getting closer with each passing second. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Tex swooped in with a jet-pack, kicked Washington into the Pelican, and they were gone._

"God damn it!" he cursed.

_Right after that, Maine appeared under them with a car. He reached out and grabbed the turret, but Carolina wasn't so lucky. He looked back, and saw her falling. She was getting closer and closer to the ground._

"CAROLINA!" he yelled.

_The last thing he saw was her body hit the floor._

York woke screaming, sitting up in a fraction of a second. He looked around and saw he was in his room. He was safe, but, was Carolina safe? Had it really been just a dream? He had to know.

He walked up to his personal computer, and typed in his password. The computers each had a chat system between all the Freelancers in case they needed to communicate with one another. He signed in, and saw Carolina's name with a green light next to it. She was online. He typed.

Carolina! Are you there?

He anxiously waited for a reply. Each second seemed slower than the next, and when seconds turned to minutes, he began to lose hope.

_It can't be... she couldn't have died._

He was about to close the computer, when he got his reply.

Yes York, I'm here. This better be important! It's 3:00, and I was sleeping.

He sighed in relief. Never in his life had he been as relieved as he was right now. Carolina was alive, and she was safe. He replied.

Sorry, just a bad dream.

He saw the little icon that indicated she was typing a message, and got his reply.

A bad dream? Damn it York don't interrupt me for that again. I just jumped out of a 110 story building, ran across a highway at 100mph, crashed into a wall going 100mph, and I need to rest. So do you.

And with that she left. She was obviously mad, but at least York knew she was safe. He looked at the clock. It was 3:00, just like Carolina had said. She was right of course, they needed rest, but York just couldn't go back to sleep. Not with a dream like that. He lied down on the bed, and let his thoughts wander freely through his mind. He found himself thinking of only one thing:

Carolina.

He didn't get it. She and Carolina had been friends ever since they joined Project Freelancer, but it had been just that: friendship. He knew the kind of business he was getting himself into. It wasn't smart to get attached to someone, especially when they could disappear in the blink of an eye. In fact, Utah had died on the first mission. All it took was one bullet to the head, and he was on the floor: dead.

It wasn't that he wasn't a good soldier, because at the beginning of the program he had been one of the recruits who had showed the most potential. The thing about war was that all it took for you to get killed was to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. One lucky shot could either fuck up your foot, land you in the hospital, or kill you. Like a casino. A spin of the wheel. You either lived, or you died. This isn't to say that skill had nothing to do with survival, because you had to know what to do to stay alive, but one bad spin and you were gone.

The more he thought about Carolina the more he found he cared about her more than he had let on. Of course he had always cared about her, but he found himself worrying more about her than he usually did. To be fair, she really was beautiful. Her red hair reminded York of Ashley, his first girlfriend. She had broken his heart, but this wasn't her. This was Carolina.

Project Freelancer was a new start. His past was behind him, and that's where it would stay. He had to be careful though. These newfound feelings for Carolina could cloud his judgement and jeopardize any future missions. He would have to stay rational. He couldn't let his personal feelings get in the way of the mission.

_Wait, what am I thinking? Am i really considering this? There's no way she would feel the same anyways. That hug was just friendly. All she was doing was thanking me for going with them even though I just lost his eye... Wasn't she?_

These were his last thoughts before he fell asleep again.


	3. Chapter 3

The ship-wide alarm woke York from his dreamless sleep at 8:00; the normal wake up time for all Freelancers. He hadn't even realized he had fallen sleep, yet he felt fully rested.

"Good morning to all Freelancers," he heard the Director say on the intercom.

_Good morning? When has the Director ever said good morning?_

"The arrival of the Sarcophagus yesterday will not have an immediate impact on your training," he continued, "so we will continue with regular training procedures. Agent Maine, however, will not be joining you until he is fully recovered. This will cause some changes in your training schedules, which will be updated on the panel next to your room doors. You may download this to your helmet's HUD, as I recognize you will be unfamiliar with this new schedule, and I do not want anybody wasting their time, simply because they did not know where to go. I expect you all to adapt quickly to this the same way you would adapt to changes in the battlefield. Have a fine day."

_So he wants us to have a good morning and a fine day... Something's definitely not right here. And what the hell happened to that rest he had promised us?_

He decided not to give it much thought, and went to get ready. He went to the bathroom where he brushed his teeth, washed his face, and shaved. When he finished shaving, he looked in the mirror, and his attention turned to his eye.

_ Doesn't look that bad... besides, women love men with scars don't they?_

As soon as the thought occurred to him, he put it in the back of his mind.

_Hold it together York. You're a Freelancer, there's no time for romance here._

He really hoped there wasn't. Getting involved with Carolina as anything more than friends could have any number of implications, and he couldn't let that happen. He got dressed in the simple black body suit all Freelancers wore under their MJOLNIR armor, that covered everything except their head. He went to his dresser to pick up his helmet, which all Freelancers took with them to their rooms, and went to check his schedule. He had target practice at 9:30 with Carolina.

_Well... this should be interesting._

He exited his room, helmet in hand, and walked to the armory. He was the first to arrive, so he stepped up to the platform in the middle of the room, and let the technicians do their job. They began like they always did, attaching the two pieces that made up the torso. They continued by putting his leg armor, and then finishing with the arms.

"All right, you're good to go," said one of the armor technicians.

He step off of the platform, and decided it was time to eat some breakfast. As he left, he saw some of the Freelancers arriving at the armory, all dressed in the same black body suits they all wore under their armor. When he arrived at the mess hall, he picked up a plate, and walked to the serving station, where he was served his breakfast.

"Scrambled eggs again F.L.I.S.S.?" he asked.

"I apologize Agent York," came the reply from the computerized voice. "We have not yet had time to land on a non-hostile planet to buy ingredients for better food. Also, there has been some problems with the funds, but I assure you the Director is doing the best he can to get you the food you deserve."

"You sure you weren't programmed to say that last bit?"

"I am sorry, was that sarcasm?"

"Would that get you mad?"

"I am an A.I., I do not feel anger."

"Good to know," he said, and went to get a table. He found Washington sitting on a table, and he was the only one in the mess hall, so he decided to sit with him."

"Morning, Wash," he told him.

"Hey York," replied Washington. "Any luck with Carolina?"

"Yeah she'll be fine. She just needs some time to cool off. She's pretty mad at Tex, but other that I'm sure she'll be back to herself in no time."

"I hope so... we've already got Texas to deal with."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I don't know if you've noticed, but Texas is a bit of a umm..."

"An angry pissed off bitch?"

"Yeah that... And for some reason she's always hanging around the Director."

"I've been thinking about that for a while now, and to be honest, it worries me."

"And haven't you noticed that she's not even here?"

York looked around, seeing that in the few minutes they had been talking, the mess hall was already filling up with all the other Freelancers coming from the Armory. He looked for the black armor Texas wore, but didn't see it anywhere.

"You're right... she's not here."

"And I'm betting you didn't see her at the Armory either."

"Hey, I was the first one there. I didn't see anyone. Speaking of which... is there any particular reason why you're still not in your armor?"

"I'd rather come get my food before the line forms... and this way, by the time I've eaten, there'll be nobody in the Armory, and I don't have to make that line either," he replied, smiling a little at his clever plan.

"You do know that the Armory closes at 9:00 right?"

"You're point being?"

"It's 8:55."

"WHAT?" he yelled, getting up from the table "But I always manage to get there on time!"

"Do you always talk to someone during breakfast?"

"Well, no but..."

He stood there thinking for a moment.

"Umm... Wash? It's 8:56"

"SHIT!" he yelled, running for the door, and leaving his food behind.

"Ooo, more food," York said to himself, reaching for Washington's plate.

When he finished eating, York sat up and started walking towards the shooting range. It was 9:15, so he had some time to sit down and think. Out of habit, he put on his helmet, and let his thoughts roam free. He thought of Carolina again, and of the way her hair looked yesterday when he went to her room. York had always loved red hair, and he found Carolina's hair was exceptionally beautiful. He thought of the way they talked, and how out of the blue they laughed.

Come to think of it, they have never really had a conversation like that before. It had always been small talk: a little bit of chatter when they were bored on recon missions, some small talk on the way to a mission, a sarcastic comment from York... but they had never had an actual conversation. He found himself longing for more. He wanted to have some time to talk to her, about her; nothing else. He found that he wanted to know more about her. He wanted to get to know her...

Suddenly, he was in a meadow, the same one from back at home, where he used to take his old girlfriend Ashley to spend their time together. The place he'd take her so they could be alone. So they could be far away from the rest of the world; where they would just sit and talk nonsense all day long, and that nonsense would lead to other more pleasant things.

She was sitting cross legged with her back against the tree. York was lying down, resting his head on her legs. He looked at her eyes, beautiful as ever, but then he started noticing something. This wasn't Ashley...

It was Carolina.

She was playing with the long hair he used to have before joining the military, just like Ashley used to to, and she was smiling. She was smiling the same way she had when that day he had left her room. He couldn't remember when that was, but it didn't matter to him. He was here, now, in a timeless place, completely disconnected form the rest of the world.

He felt her fingers move along his head, just toying with his hair. Pulling on it gently, wrapping it around her fingers. She placed her hands on each side of his face, stroking his cheeks with her thumbs. They looked deep into each other's eyes, and York couldn't help but smile back at her.

"I love you," she told him.

"I love you too," he found himself saying back.

She leaned down to kiss him, and he lifted his head a bit to kiss her back, but just as his lips were about to touch hers, he fell.

"OW!," he yelled as he hit the floor. He looked up to see Carolina standing over him. He was back at Mother of Intervention.

"Bad dreams York? Really? What are you, five?" said Carolina.

"You didn't have to push me down," he replied.

"It's your fault for falling asleep. I told you you needed some rest," she said, as she offered her hand and smiled playfully at him.

"All right, you win. You were right, I did need some sleep," he said as he took her hand, and she pulled him up. "Now can we please get to training?"

"Not if you're too tired," she said.

"Ha, ha," he said sarcastically. "Now if you're done mocking me, let's go train."

"Not that I really need any, but sure," she said.

"Cocky, are you? That's not gonna help you get back up to number 1," he replied jokingly. When he saw the look on Carolina's face, he knew she hadn't taken it as a joke.

"Too soon?" he asked.

The moment he said this she threw her fist toward his face. He grabbed it, twisted it around, and held it behind her back.

"We're here for target practice," he told her. "Unarmed combat isn't until 14:00."

"Let me go," she said through gritted teeth, "before I break your arms and knock you unconscious."

"You're being a little extreme," he told her.

"Maybe," she replied, and before he knew it, he was on the ground. "You still should have let me go," she said as she walked away.

_Great going York._


End file.
